Former Minority Leader of Parliament and former National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Samuel Arthur Odoi-Sykes, has died.
Mr Odoi-Sykes passed away on Monday, October 5, 2026, according to a statement issued by his family.
He was a former Member of Parliament for the Ashiedu Keteke Constituency, a distinguished lawyer and diplomat who served as Ghana’s High Commissioner to Canada from 2001 to 2006.
Mr Odoi-Sykes entered Parliament after winning the Ashiedu Keteke seat in the 1979 elections and subsequently became Minority Leader in 1980.
He later served as National Chairman of the NPP from 1998 to 2001, during which the party secured its historic electoral victory in December 2000.
Before entering active politics, Mr Odoi-Sykes worked as a teacher before joining the Ministry of Information. He subsequently entered Ghana’s Foreign Service in 1961, beginning a diplomatic career that spanned several decades.
His diplomatic assignments took him to India, the United States, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom, where he served in various capacities.
Among his diplomatic positions were First Secretary, Press Attaché, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Ambassador to the Soviet Union and Deputy High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
A Barrister-at-Law, Mr Odoi-Sykes was called to the Bar at the Inner Temple in London before being admitted to the Ghana Bar.
Born in Accra, he received his early education at Accra Academy before pursuing higher education at the University of Ghana, the University of London and Johns Hopkins University.
In their statement, the family described him as a man of principled character, courage and firm leadership who devoted his life to public service and intellectual independence.
They said his contribution to Ghana’s public life spanned politics, diplomacy, law and national service.
Mr Odoi-Sykes is survived by his wife, Edith Amorkor Sykes, and four children: Cynthia Omaboe, Mavis Amoa, Vincent Sykes and Frank Sykes.
The family said further details of his funeral arrangements would be announced in due course.
